Fear the Dead
by zzetta13
Summary: "Tobias, you can't save everybody". He may have been a loner, with few friends, but he did have a heart of gold. There were people who loved him and cared for him (his family and Mrs. C). They made him care, and want to save others. Not something easily done in a viral apocalypse. When the world is becoming trashed and even the authorities can't figure it out, what can a soul do?
1. Chapter 1

_**Fear the dead**_

" _ **Tobias Grant"**_

Arthur's note: after two episodes of "Fear the Walking Dead" I am beginning to get a feel for this story. With spin-offs and reboots there always remains the question, "will the new work be as good as its parent"?

Up to this point I am happy with "Fear the Dead" so far...and too, I have taken a little time to construct a story about a character (which now it is unknown if we will ever see him again...at least as a living soul)... one, Tobias.

I like Tobias; he seemed to be one of the few persons who really had their head together about what was coming.

People may sometimes seem to be loons, that is, until what they've been spouting from their lips seems to present that they knew exactly what they were talking about. Still, we live in a cautious world, and sometimes it takes more than just a few moments of time for realities to sink in. However, by then it may be too late...

Tobias had been warning people about what was coming, but did they heed, did they listen? He watched the "feed" off of the internet and knew that this was not something of a fan creation...that it had some basis in reality. Still when he spoke, mentioned an upcoming apocalypse, his words more proclaimed him as crazy.

All he could think of in his mind was...was the world prepared for what was about to happen?

 *************A Pillar of Salt *************

Tobias still remembered the day that he had closed Mrs. C's car door (that fateful time whenever she had dropped him off in front of his residence whenever the city had started to go to shit).

She had told him that he could go with her, with them. Evidently she and her family had made plans to evac the city, and for a moment he had considered her proposition. However, he knew that he had responsibilities. He had to deliver his own family from the apocalypse, to see that they were cared for...His mother and others that lived with them under the same roof. They all may be in panic mode by this time. He had to see to their safety, even with all the cruelty they had bestowed upon him.

Some of his family and friends had told him that if he continued along this path that there was a psycho ward awaiting him at Pescadero Institute, right next to the room where Sarah Conner was boarded (the woman who saw robots invading our future).

Tobias had dismissed their ridicule. He had been warning people for weeks that there was something going on, but no one cared to listen. They had spoken that he was spending too much time on the computer. Some of his family even had said that he needed to get a real life. One not tied up within a fourteen inch screen monitor. It was determined that he should not believe everything he saw on-line.

Well, his answer...he didn't. He didn't believe everything he saw on-line, but there were some things that did possess a "ring" of truth about them.

One was a video he'd witness from Laredo, Texas. The image seemed to have been recorded on a cell phone...and the documentor seemed more interested in getting away than standing there to watch her boyfriend get eaten alive...

( _Tobias Grant had decided some time ago that his true calling was to become a film-maker, to become involved in the movie industry. The people around him had laughed._

" _Yeah, like you're going to become the next Steven Spellberg or something."_

 _Tib didn't even acknowledge that they had said Spielberg's name wrong. He was used to criticism. Humor had often been poked towards him about his weight, or the numerous red splotches upon his face, few people took him seriously. Even so he studied what was coming across the internet, and he knew that he could determine what was constructed, from what was genuine. He had been studying My-Tube videos for a millennia (well that was a bit of an exaggeration), however he felt that he had become well qualified to determine what was real, from the manufactured_ ).

Anyway, there was a certain grittiness about that raw footage from Texas, a spontaneous reaction which implied that what was being witnessed was real.

The footage which showed some girl recording her boyfriend being attacked by...well, some kind of creature, and it looked to be no fake. He had studied the image a thousand times...

Tobias walked up the steps and opened the door to his residence. He stood just inside the doorway for a moment. He called to the people that he knew should be there, inside. He got no response.

Where were they? He turned and looked back out of the glass door which was the first barrier to his home. Where was his family? Maybe he should have taken Mrs. C up on her offer. His house seemed awful quiet. He reached down and felt his pocket for the knife Mrs. Clark had returned to him...back at school. Then he remembered that he'd left his blade buried within Principal Artie's chest. Now he realized that he had no protection at all. What was he to do?

END PART 1


	2. Chapter 2

_**Fear the dead 2**_

" _ **Tobias Young"**_

Arthur's note: "Tobias Grant Young" had been abandoned by his father at an early age (the age of six), but moreover his mother had been abandoned. He and Melisa Grant (his mother) had persevered and proved to Steven Young (his father and Melisa's absent husband), that they could survive. However, instead of taking his father's name, Tobias had opted to use his mother's maiden name..."Grant", just as she had.

Melisa was a woman strong. Beautiful and intelligent she was a woman dedicated to family and the people who were paramount in her life. However, her young son, Tobias, had begun exhibiting behaviors of a peculiar nature. He had begun to tell her and his uncle that the world was coming to an end. This frightened Melisa to no end. How could this be, her child, a boy of hers, be so erratic in his thoughts...?

Maybe it was the L.A. smog or maybe it was even just a sign of the times. Or, maybe it was just that Toby was watching too much television or exploring too much internet. Whatever the cause, he had begun expressing mannerisms that weren't like him.

Toby's Uncle, Uncle Charles (his mother's younger brother), had been almost like the boy's father.

Uncle "C" had been a mentor to him (just as Mrs. "C", one of his teachers had been). Charlie had taken his nephew on hunting excursions when he was young, and fishing trips too. Nature was no stranger to Toby, he knew how to use a knife and how to trigger a gun, yet he was no master at these (still he would use them in the upcoming apocalypse).

Tobias Grant (Young)...was a young man...but not ill prepared. Fact was, he knew better what was coming than many of the major players of our civilized society...only he found that no authority would listen to anything someone under the age of forty would say...that's just the way it was...

It frustrated him...but what could he do?

 *************** _ **The Crucial Dead**_ ***************

At first he looked out of the window and he didn't see anything...but rather he heard it, but even so, he felt it more. This sense that he was all alone...the neighborhood was totally quiet. Odd, but usually at this hour (in the early morning time) he normally heard something...Some of the neighborhood kids waiting outside their homes on the sidewalk (for the bus to arrive), and dogs, dogs barking and birds chirping, but today, nothing...

It was like someone had turned down the knob on sound, decreased the volume of the world (like when turning down the volume on their I-tunes or something)...however, turning down the volume of the world was impossible, right?

Tobias released the curtain of the window in the front-room of his house. He stood there quietly and let it fall silently back into place. Outside there were no sounds of cars driving by, no sound of a mother calling to her child that he or she had forgotten their lunch container on the kitchen counter, or their money to pay for their noon meal at school. These were things that he usually had become accustomed to hearing (as he sat at the table in his own kitchen eating a bowl of cereal).

Tobias could almost "not blame" any of his family for not believing him for telling them that an apocalypse was soon to come, that a global catastrophe was about to happen. He paused and thought about the little girl who lived across the street...

If twelve year old Rebecca Reynolds had ever told him one day that her pet turtle could talk, and that the critter was secretly giving her answers to her next math quiz, well, wouldn't he certainly consider that she may be a little off-kilter (?)...so why should he not believe that his family would do the same, especially whenever he had begun making claims of almost the definition of insanity itself?

Toby had waited in his house all that night (after Mrs. C had dropped him off at his home the day before). He had stayed up waiting through the evening for a family member to arrive, someone, anyone, a familiar face, but none had. At dawn he began to wonder if anyone would. Sure he had been telling them for weeks now; maybe even a couple of months...that things were changing, that things weren't right, but he supposed that being a teenager, and also someone who'd spent a lot of his time in his room surfing the web, why would they assume to take anything he spoke as gospel?

Just at that moment Toby heard a sound coming from the back of the house. It had not been a loud sound...but it was sufficient...and the first something he'd head all day. He went into the kitchen and retrieved a carving knife. He then began to walk slowly towards the back...Crossing room after room he poised the blade in his hand ready to strike. He heard the sound a couple times more...and it seemed to be something or someone scratching at the back door. He arrived in the room where he could look out of the half-window which made up a part of the back door...he could see nothing. There was no image which spoke to him that it was trying to get in, no person calling for help, no individual which he could not account for... Nothing...

Tobias stealthily walked towards the door...when he stood directly in front of it as he looked out. There was no person there...no thing that could be discerned by which could have made the sound. He looked around through the door-glass...

The sky was a bit dull, a bit gray... Reflecting the mood of the situation...yet it was still a puzzle...what had drawn him to the rear of his abode? He opened the door a crack... and then fuller...and then he noticed it...there, squaring upon the top step was something that he was familiar with, a feline beast that had been in the family for years, a pet, a cat...

"Crimson..." Toby exclaimed as he reached down and took the animal by its fore-paw's. It was an orange stripped feline...but mostly orange.

The teenager brought the creature up to eye-level...he leaned in to give it a kiss...happy to see a living creature...just at that moment he noticed that the animal's muzzle was soaked with red..."Blood"...

He dropped the creature and it scurried off quickly...what had it been eating?

It was then that Tobias heard a sound that he had heard before...One of heavy breathing, the same as he'd heard in the halls of his high-school...And Toby remembered those sounds. They were made by an individual struggling for breath, of someone trying to take in oxygen. He knew impulsively that these were the sounds of someone trying to redeem their soul...gasping for air as if their next breath would grant them the salvation of heaven.

What is the drive behind the zombie mind...the undead motivation? Yes, these creatures were caught up in a world between life and the alternate (limbo) some might say...their essence in short, was to see to that their soul did not factor them to hell...what will one do to gain the clouds...the sanctity of a soul saved forever, verses a soul condemned to burning torture of infinity?

Tobias Young (well, Grant), could hear the breath of creatures approaching...yet who were these creatures (?) where they his mother, his uncle (?)...that question remained unanswered.

Were they beasts or man...He clutched in his hand the knife held firmly in his grip...and then he remembered that his Uncle had a rifle stashed in his room... Toby closed the backdoor quickly and locked it...and then he made his way up to Uncle Charles's room. A rifle was better than a knife any day...he forged the steps upward and he gained the weapon quickly in his hands...He knew not what creatures be upon him... but what he did know was...that there would be many a cadaver lay upon the carpeted floor before him before they reached him...just saying

END PART 2


	3. Chapter 3

_**Fear the dead 3**_

" _ **A Question of What to Do"**_

 *************** _ **The Crucial Dead Part 2**_ ***************

Tobias Grant had vaulted the steps to his uncle's upstairs bedroom. Inside he found the weapon he'd been looking for, a shotgun. The weapon was unloaded of course, so he hunted the room for ammunition. He found what he was looking for on an upper shelf inside the bedroom's closet, and then he swiftly stuffed five shells inside the gun.

Since one of the bedroom windows was facing the same direction as the downstairs back door Tobias chose this to be his vantage point. From here he had full command of his family's entire backyard (and some of the neighbors' backyards too). He pulled back the curtains so that he had an unobscured view. He looked down (outside of the window), to view what he could see below...however for a time he could see nothing, nor could a sound be heard.

Evidently, whoever, or whatever had tried to attain access to his home had failed...or maybe they had entered but were being stealthy enough as to avoid being detected at this moment.

Toby made his way to his Uncle's bedroom door...he closed it quickly and locked it without making a sound. If someone had gained entry to his home, then once they reached that door then they would find their pathway blocked. At which point he would determine if they were friend or foe. Toby waited, but no one came. He returned his attention to the window.

From his view the young student could see movement down below, there were two people, two individuals that at once seemed recognizable, but then at another glance did not. Were these folk his mother and his uncle? Tobias couldn't be sure. In some regard they resembled the two, but in others they did not (one being that his mom had always been a lively person, and too his uncle, but these bodies were moving so slowly that, had he been a turtle he felt that he could have outpaced them easily, and too), there was something peculiar about their movements.

Toby wasn't sure but it did seem as if these individuals moved as though they were under the influence.

Drugs or whatever it may be...the couple made an easy target. With the window still down Toby could not hear any words being spoken; if there had been a vocal exchange between the two it was not detected. However it looked as if any verbal communication was nonexistent. He eased up the window sash, lifting it allowed him the ability to snipe his weapon. If he chose to pull the trigger then he knew that these two would be dead before they could utter the name "Kirkman". However, Tobias questioned if he could do it. Pull the trigger and kill someone without legitimate reason?

He felt his finger squeeze and he felt it tighten against the restraint of the trigger. The individuals were within his sight and within his range. There would be neither obstruction nor any issue when it came to wasting his targets, well, any physical restraints anyway...Their craniums would be on the ground before their bodies had a chance to join any brain-matter, still Toby hesitated...he was no killer. Sure he had plunged a knife deep into his school Principal's chest, but he was trying to protect Mrs. C...people do that, they safeguard their friends and family...but this was something else, something different. This may be considered murder.

Tobias watched as the two beasts, or whatever they were to be called, slowly walked away. They seemed almost innocent somehow, like children or something. Their motor functions being driven by something which they could not control. His finger, perched on the trigger, and it had been only a micro-second away from ending the lives of two individuals of which (at this moment in time walking corpses were still considered to be living), may have been folk only looking for help.

Tobias stopped, he lowered his rifle (and his head) a single teardrop ran down his face. It made its way to the carpet below. He actually felt like a felon, like someone who was an assassin or something, and too, he did feel some empathy for the two individuals in his backyard as they crossed the lawn and scurried away.

He had come so close. Was he crazy (?), he still questioned that idea himself...

 ******************* Day 3 ******************

Tobias had left his home and headed out to parts unknown. Sure, that wasn't totally true, he knew where he was going, but at the same time he didn't. He knew that there were bomb shelters located out in the desert (east of downtown L.A.). Constructs that were designed to save folk, in the event of an emergency, IE, a nuclear catastrophe, however, how useful would those shelters be if we were attacked by a devil from within?

If an enemy attacked it was known where protection could be achieved, well, some folk had covered their bases. However, what about an assailant of whom we had no clue would attack us...(ourselves)...An enemy so close to home that we didn't even acknowledge them to be as such...

We had posted barricades to defend ourselves, defend us from our foe and move us to secure our investments, however, what if our foe had a familiar face? How can one guard against that?

Tobias had packet enough water that he thought it would be sufficient for the long march into the desert (Holy shit he had forgotten the sunscreen). Anyway, he drained the kitchen facet, well, that is until it became a only a drip...still he had filled four water bottles, and if he had any kind of discipline he would restrict himself from drinking until he reached flat open plane of the barren wasteland with mountains off in the distance...the sand and the dunes.

Toby looked down at the first of his water bottles, and then he looked across at the view before him. It was a desolate land...filled with burning soil beneath one's feet, and a baking of one's tongue against the roof of their mouth. It made the mind scream for mercy, beg for water.

Tobias had reached his objective, however, looking back down at his first water bottle he could see that the container was only half full...So, he had partaken of his supply already...so give him a gorram "D" on his report card.

Tobias Grant laughed, what matter did school or report cards make anyway? He was still alive and he knew that many of the people he'd seen just two days before were not. Did that make him feel better (?)...No, it didn't make him feel better...but it did prove to him that he was still there to take his next breath.

END PART 3


	4. Chapter 4

_**Fear the dead 4**_

" _ **The Walking Living"**_

Arthur's note: Tobias' story & journey continues...

 *************** Scorcher ******************

It was mid-afternoon whenever Tobias paused to take a break. He was down to a single bottle of water now, so seeking shelter from the heat seemed like his best alternative at this point.

He had found an old tree next to the road to rest under...and even though it seemed wilted and dead (its branches having not known leaves for some time now), it still provide enough shade to protect him from the scorching rays of that sweltering bright star above, up in the heavenly sky.

Tobias sat there a while, his clothes drenched in sweat. He was getting a little hungry at this point and he thought about his backpack. He had taken his school backpack and stuffed it to capacity with supplies before leaving his home. He knew that the march out to the desert would be a long one, especially on foot, so he had stored some provisions. He looked down the road ahead, that long, concert avenue that disappeared off into the distance. He observed the nothingness, the near barren landscape and was amazed that anything could exist out here, so torturous, so desolate, however some things did. He was thinking that he still had a mile or two left to travel before reaching his destination.

The L.A. resident had been told by a classmate that he and his family had a shelter out in the sandy, boulder crags east of the city. It was a place where he, Tobias, and his family could go if ever there was the need. Tobias felt that this situation qualified...His heading, a bomb shelter, a construct of his friend's great grandfather back in the day whenever there was the threat of a nuclear holocaust...rather than the damnation of a biblical plague hanging over the nation's head, ironic now wasn't it?

Anyway, that is where the young acquaintance of Mrs. Madison Clark was headed. Tobias had told his mother and his uncle about this place, and he had hoped that was where they had gone, even though he knew that it made him look crazy. But his family loved him (a mother will forgive and forget the irrational rants of her child, even though she fears that they may be going insane).

Tobias had hoped that they had taken heed his words, and had evaced to a safer location. He was hoping to catch up with them there.

Tobias had been lucky; he hadn't had to walk the full distance out of town. He had been picked up by a couple of travelers, two fellows in a rugged looking pick-up. He hadn't fully trusted them, the city had gone rampant with looters and mayhem, but as he climbed into the truck bed, in back, he could see that the two kept eye-balling his weapon, his uncle's rifle, so he felt safe that they would not try anything. Still, he was happy at the edge of town whenever they had dropped him off. Now he wished he had a vehicle of his own.

Tobias had thought about taking a car, or a truck, maybe even a bicycle. However he had changed his mind. That pretty much would be considered an act of theft and would allow any owner to put a bullet straight through one's head (the details could be sorted later). Anyway, he hadn't done it, he was on foot.

Tobias had considered his food supply, he had not partaken, deciding that it may make him more thirsty, and too, his water ration was already getting low. He arose to his feet and again began making his march down the road, thinking all the while how heavy his uncle's rife and his own school backpack were becoming...

His uncle had told him once, that after his graduation he should join the army...yeah, like that was going to happen...

 *************** The Meeting ****************

Tobias had traveled maybe half a mile whenever he noticed something in the road up ahead...it was a person, a body, and it was walking in the same direction as he. There was something recognizable about the figure, something familiar. The young man could see that the body was female, and that the dress on the lady looked similar to one his mother owned. His heart caught up in his throat...

"MOM", he called out!

There was no response. The woman was a clear seventy yards ahead of him.

"MOM", he called out again...this time the figure turned, slowly, and then began to walk his way. From this distance Toby couldn't identify if it were she or not. On the safe side he removed the weapon from his shoulder and brought it to aim. He was a good shot, good enough to put this individual down, if need be, only he would wait, wait until she were closer, much closer.

He observed that the figure had a weird kind of walk, a labored kind of gait, and he knew what that meant...he had witnessed it several times already, and it burdened him to think of it. The grip of his fingers around the rifle frame grew tighter, and the press of the stock against his shoulder more pressured.

"MOM!"...He called again, but still he heard no sound...but then, of a sudden, he did hear something, only this sound came from behind him.

"CITIZEN...PUT THE WEAPON DOWN!"

Tobias turned...and was presented with a heavy vehicle just twenty feet away, to his rear. A military craft, armored like nobody's business and out for "business" it seemed.

"I REPEAT, PUT YOUR WEAPON DOWN!"...the sergeant spoke through a loud speaker. At that same moment several other soldiers came from around the vehicle all with weapons held high and at the ready, and all focused on him. Tobias eased down his rifle.

"Here son...," one of the soldiers spoke as he neared the young man, "I'll take that." He took the weapon. "There's food and water in a truck behind the armored car if you're hungry."

The man then turned to a fellow soldier...

"Private Johnson, assist this citizen to the wagon would you?"

Evidently Toby had been so focused on the individual before him, just the time prior, that he had not heard the armed force arrive.

"But what about her," he asked, while pointing at the figure down the way?

"Don't worry about her," Private Johnson said, "We'll take care of her."

Moments later Tobias was told to climb into the truck (an army vehicle with the thick canvas stretched across the sides and over the top). There were several other individuals inside as well, all looking as dazed and confused as he was. A moment later the motor vehicle turned around and was headed back in the same direction Tobias had just fled.

Someone offered him a bottle of water...and just at that moment the young man heard a loud, single gunshot report out of the distance. It echoed across the canyon and bounced back and forth from mountain ridge to mountain ridge.

Sitting on the bench, the last seat in the back of the truck, Tobias turned his head and looked east, but could see nothing. He eyes were wide, but even so he could see no details.

The army vehicle he was traveling in was speeding away quickly, and Tobia felt his stomach turn. He felt sick of a sudden, but what could he do?

END PART 4


	5. Chapter 5

_**Fear the Dead 5**_

" _ **A Questioning Soul"**_

Author's note: I have a question...I really, really enjoy The Walking Dead television series, and too, Fear the Walking Dead, and, as television shows go...I do believe that the most successful programs will always leave a little room for fan speculation (early day talk in the coffee room at work...or, by the water cooler on the jobsite on Monday morning)...

Anyhoo, my question is, and remains, what has caused this outbreak...will we ever learn? Guess I am like Tobias in that regard...I am, and will remain, a soul who questions everything...regards, Z...

 *************** _ **Convoy**_ ***************

Tobias recalled the trip made back into L.A., and it wasn't a pleasant experience...

The speed and haste by which the transport moved in progress made for a rather bumpy and shaky ride. The driver seemingly giving no thought or consideration for the cargo he carried. Still stops had been made (along their path), and the individuals inside the trucks were allowed to exit and stretch their limbs...once the area was assumed to be secure.

There had been gunfire, sometimes, and Tobias had often asked a nearby recruit what had happened. The soldier usually spoke that there had been looters, and the blasts were made just to scare them off...but sometimes it was said that there were crazies, and they had been deal with (is this what had happened to the woman in the desert, maybe his own mother?)

Tobias wasn't sure he was getting the full truth. Sometimes there would be an individual recovered, someone injured, and he or she would be taken to a separate truck, the rear flaps of which were opened and then closed again to conceal the on-goings of what was inside.

Tobias was told that that they were receiving medical attention...and he had no reason to doubt (question) this claim.

Once the convoy was going again the young L.A. resident would, on occasion, see bodies lying about, here and there, outside the path of the vessels. Tobias may have been a young schoolboy but a naive individual he was not. He knew how the world worked...

Many of these souls looked as if their bodies were already in a state of deterioration; however the blood exiting their wounds was fresh. It looked even darker in the illumination of the streetlamps (the day had grown into evening and then into early dusk, and they were still traveling).

Toby was making mental notes of everything, the first of which, the town, his town, still had power...it seemed. The source grid might have been compromised for a time, but now it was under control again, and then too he had asked the question of where they were being taken. He was told...

"Home"

Tobias took this answer with a "grain of salt". His residence was not in the direction of their travel, not on par with their course, still, he kept his mouth shut. He did get the feeling that if he asked too many questions that his query would alert the attention of folk that he did not want to know that he existed (he wanted to stay low-key)...And too, he had no desire of being labeled as a troublemaker, a nuisance and a problem (and therefore... be dealt with accordingly).

Tobias did not want to be an individual which ended up in the truck which kept its flaps closed. No...no telling what kind of things went on in there.

Anyway...from time to time he would cast glances back at the vehicle which was following in their wake. It was dark now, and he could see little, but he knew that there were two individuals inside that cab.

Once, every so often, when the convoy would venture past a street lamp, his viewpoint become clearer and Toby got a glimpse of those two soldiers, and, he could see that they were wearing full face masks. Not those little dust mask often seen by doctors on tv shows, but rather ones with a full-blown charcoal filters.

So, this was serious (!), even to the point where the army was sporting extra protection.

In ten minutes the caravan came to a halt, and the travelers were instructed to disembark. Tobias jumped down from the truck. He recalled that the truck, which had been following in their wake, had veered off... (Turning left in another direction just before their arrival, and Toby had spoken a silent prayer for those victims...I mean, the people involved), hopefully they would be safe... and cured.

Anyway, here they were...But just where " **here** " was...was another question.

Tobias looked about. He recognized the neighborhood, not as his own however he knew this place. It was somewhere close to where Mrs. C lived...his school bus drove past her house every day, and he often looked out of the window to see if he could get a glimpse of Alicia.

Tobias Grant had had a crush on Madison Clark's young daughter for centuries... OK, that may be an embellishment; still, he had carried a torch for Alicia Clark for a while now, and that was the honest to God truth.

Tobias' hormones had been raging (along with the zombie apocalypse), for some time... and he held the meanest quiver for the hottest woman on the planet (Alicia). Sure, since he was a teenager, then that could put Alicia as only being in her later teens, or maybe twenties, still, his loins were perpetuating...and he'd held, on many an occasion, a sense of being her boyfriend, well, at least in his dreams. So sue him for fantasizing...screw you asshole...

Tobias wandered about Alicia. Was she safe, was she still alive, and too was her mother and her family(?).

From where he stood Tobias looked up, and in his view he could see homes and apartments built into the landscape hillside. From this vantage point he knew that he would be able to see the Clark's residence...and from there he might be able to signal them (if they were still present and still alive). Maybe he could find some kind of way to communicate...maybe by flickering a light.

"Hey kid, move along."

Tobias heard the order from a soldier near him. So, this was not his home, however, it may be a place of quarantine, an area of safe harbor. Well, at least for the time...or until a figure of higher involvement gave orders of reversal...at which point what would be then his destiny? No, change that, their destiny (?)...he and the folk he'd arrived with.

Tobias wasn't your typical high school student. His trust level had been compromised by his father and now he was the type of person who held little trust. He couldn't sit still and just let things happen. He didn't function that way...he had to be proactive.

END PART 5


	6. Chapter 6

_**Fear the Dead 6**_

" _ **City of the Dead"**_

Author's note: Hello fellow fic readers...firstly, here at the beginning of chapter 6 of my story "Fear the Dead", I want to convey a few things about myself. My creations, and the direction I see the spin-off "Fear the walking Dead", are an undertaking of my own feeble brain, and I thank the creators of the show and this site for allowing me to show that side of myself.

Now currently, I usually don't view the stories I create as being placed in AU territory (Alternate Universe). I do like them to feel as if they belong in the same world as our heroes and/or villains...those characters who are occupying the same space and time as in the television works. There may be separate situations, new characters and other places and events which are purely invented, but I want to convey the idea that the work occupies the same world, that the story may be just a side avenue as to events happening in the show.

 _ **Below are spoilers so if one is not up to par with FTWD please stop here**_

Speculation: Things that I've found about _FTWD_ so far is that there are few likable characters, at least to this point.

Tobias, at last sight, seems to have a redeeming quality about himself, and too, I don't see much wrong with Chris. Alicia also, isn't so bad. However, the rest of the folk, well their behavior seems to have become a little compromised, a little tainted (in some manner or another).

Travis is turning out to be a clueless wonder, Madison should be the one wearing the pants (which she does) because she seems to be the one with balls in the family, still, she seems too, to be just a fraction on this side of becoming an alcoholic...how can she criticize her son whenever she seems to be plunging herself into the drink (?)...still, Nick is a dick. Salazar seems to have dropped off the deep end and Ofelia has compromised herself with a soldier (Corporal Cole).Too, Elizabeth has run away to play doctor (and for some reason I do not trust Dr. Exner).

What I saw in episode 5 was...Travis ratting-out the individual(s) shining the light in the window to the military (which evidently has caused said person's death), and Elizabeth is now one of the few people (none military) who has become aware that the virus may already be in us (we are all infected) and that infection may be blood related. And now, it is becoming evident that soldiers are beginning to mutiny, having a desire to return to their own homes and families. Also, the further break-down of the system may be leading the Military Command to call for, "abandon ship", otherwise known as codeword "Cobalt". What are your thoughts?

I am looking forward to the final episode of _FTWD_ and I would enjoy a second season. And finally, does anyone else see any resemblance of Nick to Johnny Depp (?)...just askin, Z

 *************** _ **Just Saying**_ ***************

I've heard that there is an old saying used in certain military circles..."Kill them all and let God sort them out".

Well if that is true then wouldn't "Operation Cobalt" qualify as a running definition of that saying?

Isn't this what Cpl. Cole was referring to when he'd confessed to chaining the doors at the auditorium complex? The Damned and the Cursed mixed together...bolt the doors and let God sort them out...sort of thing. However, that decision now seems to be haunting him.

 ************ _ **The Shadows Are Growing Deeper**_ ***************

Private Clifton Johnson had begun to like one of the young men picked up on the edge of town and brought back into the city during Operation CCC (Contact, Control, Contain). Tobias was his name, and the kid seemed smart for his age (Johnson was only nineteen years old himself).

Anyway, Marshal Law had been established. And people were being rounded up and placed into "Safe Zones". Tobias knew where he was and he knew where he was being kept, but he wasn't sure the reason he was not being allowed to contact Mrs.C...why? There was a definite feel between being safeguarded and the one of feeling quarantined.

Johnson had told him that it was because he, as well as the others brought in on the trucks, would have to undergo a stringent examination before they would be allowed to join other people. It made sense, controlling the spread of infection, there was no deception there, right?

"What about hospitals," Toby had asked?

"Hospitals...?" Clifton said, "They were the first to be overrun whenever the virus spread."

That made sense too, Tobias thought...

Emergency rooms would have been flooded with the injured, and the first place the infected were taken. Those bitten, scratched, or sick, and then, in an ironic twist, wouldn't those places be the first overwhelmed? He'd seen hospitals burning as he'd walked out of town, and he'd witnessed the bodies...he was becoming numb to that fact.

Tobias had made friends with some of the people he had arrived with on the trucks. There were eighteen individuals in all, and seven soldiers keeping an eye on them. As far as he could tell they were being kept in a motel complex maybe a half mile from Madison Clark's residence. He wished he could talk with her, but no dice. Private Johnson had his orders. Tobias had been informed by a newly acquired friend of his, Adam Cook...that he had found a way to communicate.

Adam had told Toby that he would sneak away from the compound through a fence, and shine a light towards the "Safe Zone"...then too, someone would answer back. He invited Tobias to come along with him the next time he did this.

"Meet me here tomorrow, 9 am," Adam instructed.

It was set, Toby would join Adam on his next excursion. Maybe they could communicate with someone in the Safe Zone. Too, Tobias would bring along a girl he'd met.

Jessica Delray was seventeen, just a bit older than he but he had impressed her his wisdom. He would bring her along and maybe the two of them, along with Adam, could contact Mrs. C.

Tobias felt an expression of excitement jolt through his body.

 ******************* _ **The Next Day**_ ********************

The next day began as usual. The soldiers giving "K" rations to eighteen survivors, mostly not eating.

Old man Craig actually throwing his breakfast on the floor, and in response there came three soldiers to escort him out .Just where they were taking him was unknown, however, this provided Adam the opportunity he was looking for. He made his way, with the others in tow, to a secluded area on the rooftop of the motel. Here he shimmied down a cast-iron drain pipe and dropped to the ground. And then he made his way through an opening in a hurricane fence, disappearing into a building on the other side.

Just at that moment Tobias heard a sound behind them.

"Hey, just what do you think you two kids are doing?"

Tobias turned, and he was presented with a soldier he did not know so well.

"Just watching the sunrise sir," he said.

The soldier looked at Tobias, and then at Jessica. He made a summation of what they'd really come up here to do.

"You're a little late. The sun's been up for hours," he said, "get back down to the compound."

END PART 6


	7. Chapter 7

_**Fear the Dead 7**_

" _ **A Simple Cure"**_

Author's note: Shifting away from the main story a bit...away from Tobias and onto other characters of this television series. But trust me, Tobias is not gone, he will return, and maybe with a vengeance...we'll see.

This chapter is about a woman who had a kind heart, and was a genuine caregiver...she may have had dreams of becoming a doctor or nurse, someone that could make a difference in the medical field, however her dreams will never be realized...she is gone now, tragic.

 _ **Los Sin Alma**_...

It remained unknown what had caused the outbreak, or the reason why it was so difficult to identify...or to contain. People who were very experienced doctors and scientists were even baffled by this plague.

The conspiracy theorists were at peak level. They were using this as protocol to convey the dangers of government meddling (intervention). Their belief was that people in high positions had caused this. Humanity had become too big for itself... and that could lead to the doom of us all. Steps must be taken, a thinning was needed. Everybody had a boss, and the main boss had commanded his minions to do something about overpopulation. It was a major problem, a clear issue...and it needed to be addressed.

Of course this was all speculation, who really knew what was going on? Still, the conspiracy guys were saying that a springboard had been launched...created by scientists under the influence of a higher power. The idea was to eliminate those deemed less acceptable in a refined world, a new society.

Conspiracy propagandists were flaming. Those guys were convinced that the plague had been sanctioned by the RWC (Refined World Commission) a fictional organization invented by crazed conspiracy loons on the internet (but were they really loons?).

RWC was a group which accepted the responsibility of a viral outbreak. An epidemic which could doom the whole planet, not just the those targeted. They accepted the responsibility, and the elimination of over ninety percent of the world's population had begun.

There were underground sanctuaries out in the deserts already. Secret communities which could accommodate the rich and powerful.

People's hopes, their dreams, their desire to watch Monarch Butterflies flap their wings on a bright and shiny afternoon, were about to die.

The hopes of the single individuals would exist no longer...example, there may people whom expressed a desire to become the CEO of some major corporation someday, or some folk who may have wanted just to be your average, run-of–the-mill joes, a soccer mom...or baseball dad, those dreams would be crushed. Even some of the wealthy may need to be sacrifice...men were loosening their ties hoping that they, and their families would be spared.

Gold, that precious commodity, would be rendered almost useless during an event such as this, right (?), unless somebody had gold fillings within their mouth (there were some people actually robbing the infected and pulling out their gold teeth) and what of silver (?) that shiny metal which would serve no purpose during an apocalypse unless we were overrun by werewolves...

...too, what would be the valve of paper money, that currency in which people used to flaunt and flash around showing that they had tons of it. Well it would be useless...but useful if someone wanted to wipe their...well, you know, or maybe throw it onto a campfire to keep themselves warm during the night's chill (ironic wasn't it, the idea of actually having money to burn, literally).

Anyhow, the apocalypse had started; the question now was...who would still be around after it was all over?

 _ ******************* Nurse Liza ****************_

Elizabeth Ortiz would sacrifice much of herself to help with the comfort of others; even if it meant leaving her own son behind (only for a short time of course).

Whenever she had boarded that military truck en-root to the _Treatment Center_ Liza knew that she would see her son again, she was certain of it.

This pandemic was serious; however it wasn't a global event, not yet (or so she was thinking). No, that was impossible.

Liza was of the mindset that this cotangent would be exposed soon...and then dealt with accordingly. Still, it was a rather aggressive/progressive disease. One that was well outside the range of normal epidemics (we were well due for one of those). However, the CDC had prepared a remedy, one which would wipe out this virus. A simple cure that would be effective. Did this virus know who it was messing with (?) the human race, and we did not cotton well to the killing off of our own, that was unacceptable. That _bitch virus_ was about to die, and Liza would feel good that she had helped.

A cure was bound to be on the way...she was certain. And it would be arriving at any moment. (the naivety of the human race had cultivated, our arrogance had told us that we could not be defeated...we were so wrong)

Liza felt that soon this would be over. Still, the horror that thousands of people had perished before a remedy could be administered...that would certainly create a dilemma.

...Explaining to a family member that their loved one was gone because the cure for their illness had not arrived in time...that would be a hard sell.

Liza was glad that her son was safe with his father, Travis. And she felt confident that they would be reunited.

Sunny days were still to come...and if it were on a beach, then that was all the better.

END PART 7


	8. Chapter 8

_**Fear the Dead 8**_

" _ **Los Muerto"**_

 _ **The Dead part 1...**_

Author's note: Hello readers, if you are here then let me express my thanks that you are following this work. If you are a new reader then I hope that you enjoy and continue to follow. My humble appreciation goes out to CrazyGeekyLove & Often late Kate, for reviewing this story, Z.

Now, as I see it, I guess I've taken the stance of viewing Tobias as almost being like a younger, male version of Carol. Verbally abused at a particular time of their lives and subject to ridicule that was not deserved...each were seemingly individuals who would **fold** in a world gone zombie with infection...Still, I should feel ashamed of myself; who am I to judge who would live or who would die during an apocalyptic event?

It is almost certain who we perceive would survive during a catastrophe of this nature, and let me just say that I didn't think that Carol would (or Tobias at this point).

That makes me a bit hypocrite doesn't it? The struggle and hardships these two have gone through (and will go through) have toughen them up...(com'mon Carol is a freaking badass admit it), too, a little blind luck hasn't hurt. They have persevered, and have been able to make it through; well Carol has... as for as Tobias, it is yet to be seen...still, he lives on here, in fanfic...Z

Prologue: In this chapter the P. R. Williams High School student finds that he needs to stick to his original plan. He has decided to gather up his two, new best friends, Adam and Jessica, and make a play to escape...

If they can make it from their motel rooms undetected, and then return to the roof (and from there to the ground and onto ultimate salvation, leaving L.A. in the dust) then they may survive.

Tobias again has the idea to head out towards his original destination (his schoolmate's bomb shelter). That is where he thinks that he, and his friends, will be the safest. First however, they must make their way through the city of los muerto, and without weapons...could be tricky.

 _ **************** The Night of Cobalt*****************_

Tobias awoke to the sound of gunfire...It was sometime after dark, but exactly what time?

 _(The progression of hands ticking across the face of a clock, or the glow of digital numbers against a dark background almost had no meaning anymore. Just living to see another sunrise...that was something that a person should thank God for. Still, the cosmic Divinity was being cursed every day for the mess the world found itself in)_

Tobias opened his eyes; however lying on the bed in the dark looking up at the ceiling he could see nothing. Well that wasn't true, there was some light emitting from outside through the window. Still it wasn't much, and he knew that he needed to get up and investigate the shots he'd heard. Looking outside to see what was going on he saw nothing.

"Those crazy fools," he spoke aloud, but only to himself, "They'll shoot at anything that moves now after dark."

That was true. The soldiers of the _Cobra Guard_ , the unit sanctioned to keep them corralled inside the fenced in area of this motel, had lost one of their number the night before. The soldier had ventured well past the gate after dark and never returned. Now his buddies were trigger happy, and would blast anything at moved outside the confines of the fence. They were not about to take chances.

 _(Trying to sleep in this new world was fleeting. Gunfire could be heard at any time day or night, and at any hour. The distant sound of weapons discharge wasn't too disturbing; however, it was the close shots which aroused everyone from their slumber._

 _Tobias didn't know at this time, but the gunfire which had awakened him had been very close. His friend Adam had been caught in the building next door trying to signal someone, and sorry to say, but his friend had been put down. At the reveal of Travis the day before, Lt. Moyers had informed his superiors and measures had been taken to investigate this lead)_

Anyway, Tobias didn't know that Adam was gone, a check of his room revealed him to be missing. Tobias however, felt that he couldn't wait, he had to act. He found Jessica and woke her up.

"J, we have to go...now," he spoke as silently as he could.

The teenager was still wiping the cobwebs from her brain whenever Toby took her by the arm and literally pulled her from her room. They were crossing the parking lot whenever a voice rang out which stopped them in their tracks.

"HAULT, WHO GOES THERE...?"

 _ ******************* An Easy Escape ***************_

Tobias froze...

There was a guard standing just inside the gate. In the dark Toby couldn't tell who it was. The soldier approached them.

"Tobias?"

It was PFC Clifton.

"Hello Cliff, what's up?"

"You...What the hell are you two kids doing up at this hour?"

"And what hour would that be," the young man asked?

"Well its...," the private looked down at his watch and then realized that time didn't matter anymore, "...who gives'a shit? You two should be in your rooms."

"We heard gunfire...close."

"Yeah that was just Sergeant Ericson taking care of some business...," Private Clifton paused here, and then continued, "You should get back to your rooms."

Tobias looked over at Private Johnson. He knew something was up, he could sense it. He needed information.

"What's really going on?"

Private Clifton Johnson was good, he was good at many things, but lying was not one of them, he was terrible at it. Both Toby and Jessica were looking at the guard. He expelled a breath of exasperation...

"Operation Cobalt has been initiated. I am the only guy here left on guard duty, the others have been moved out. I don't know what the endgame will be, but it doesn't look good."

Private Johnson stopped, looked over at Jessica and then back to Tobias.

"You and your girlfriend need to hurry away. I left the gate open; you can run out while I look in the other direction. "

This mierda was getting even deeper than Tobias could imagine. He didn't know what operation Cobalt was...but he wasn't stupid. If Clifton was hinting that things were getting bad, and that they should leave, then they should leave.

"OK, but I need to find my friend Adam," Tobias said.

"Forget that guy," Johnson said, "go through that gate and don't look back."

END PART 8


	9. Chapter 9

_**Fear the Dead 9**_

" _ **Slipping Away"**_

Author's notes: Continuing with the story, Z

 _ ************* Slipping Away Into the Night *************_

Tobias Grant slipped through the gate and headed out into the night, his destination...anywhere safe.

" _If Tobias is looking for someplace safe, then why didn't we just stay within the confines of the compound_ ," Jessica was thinking? However, she held onto his hand...the hand of a person she knew had survived this long.

Jessica had talked with Tobias several times, and she had discovered that he had made it all the way to the outskirts of the city, an impressive feat considering all the craziness going on. Still she was a little skeptical about leaving the safety of the motel, it may not be an iron fortress, but at least it had a fence. She did follow him through the opening however.

Jessica Delray looked back and could see the image of Private Johnson standing there ( _silhouetted against the backdrop of some distant light_ ). It was an image that would be etched into her memory. The Private looked like he was frozen in time, weapon at the ready, watching them leave. He stood as solid as stone. She returned her attention to Tobias and she considered whether or not she would regret this move? She wondered if she was doing the right thing.

Tobias knew...he knew that if Private Johnson had told them to leave, then staying at the motel may prove to be...unhealthy.

" _Operation Cobalt"_

He didn't know what to make of it or what it meant. He only knew that if a soldier told you to vacate, a soldier that you trusted...then the best thing for someone to do was to take that advice.

Clifton Johnson, Tibias had looked straight into the man's eyes, and he had seen something that he hadn't witnessed before, _**fear**_. He liked Clifton; however he wasn't sure that a single soldier could post safety and security over a group of folk with only a thin wire fence as their protection. No, Tobias felt it better to move out, move on, and find shelter in a new location, and the sooner the better.

He held onto Jessica's hand, and the pretty seventeen year old girl had a _death grip_ around his fingers. He looked back, and even in the dim light of a crescent moon he could see that she was with him in this, maybe a little apprehensive, but with him. Putting her confidence in someone she'd only known for a short period of time, that made him feel good...

 _ ********************* Choice Cuts ******************_

The streets were littered with corpses, too many to count. The two had to straddle many a dead soul to advance. Tobias was continuously making mental observations.

These creatures, or whatever one wanted to call them, the ones with their brains shot out, well, they weren't moving. However, some of the individuals which had been further away, and not sharp targets for the soldiers, were still moving.

If a corpse was missing its legs, or was only absent below the waist...then that body remained animated.

Tobias didn't linger, his mind registered the scene but he did not want to stick around to sort the details. He did reach the conclusion that whatever this virus, plague or contagion was, it may kill the body, but the brain remained active, but only to the point of delivering motor-function to the limbs.

...Looking down into the faces of these creatures he realized that these individuals were once people, and had loved ones. Still, Tobias could witness no cruelty, compassion, love or hate within those orbed sockets. It was as if these creatures were without emotion or care ( _and some had already developed the pungent odor of rot_ ).

Those vacant windows in their faces, their eyes, said that nobody was home. Those callused lenses were as devoid of a soul as a fish looks whenever it is pulled from the waters of San Pedro Bay. There was nothing but hunger remaining to their temperament. And if he were fool enough stay around and ponder the idea longer, then he may be next on the menu.

 _The choice cuts_ , yeah, Tobias had noticed that whenever a creature pinned a captive it went straight for the brains first, or maybe the intestine. It was like the brains and guts were chocolate pudding compared to the nutritional snack of the rest of the body...and who does not prefers chocolate over a granola bar?

Anyway, Tobias was a quick study. He made many of these observations at an immediate glance. He looked back at Jessica; her eyes were wide, and even in the dimness of the night he could tell that they were set on him. He felt important, like he had been given the responsibility of protecting someone...and even with all this chaos, he would make sure that the two of them made it through this, through to safety.

 _ ********************* Blain *******************_

After a time the streets cleared, with only the occasional creeper spotted walking around. They seemed lost, directionless, until a sound was heard.

Weapons fire in the distance, or a loud engine starting up blocks away would arouse their attention and send them scuttling off towards the disturbance. Military units were still roaming the area at this time but Tobias and Jessica avoided them. Tobias still had Operation Cobalt in the back of his brain, and until he learned what it meant he wanted to stay hidden.

During one of their break periods they noticed movement, and it wasn't the slow lumbering gait of an undead, it seemed more acute and perceptive, it was a living person. The individual would duck in and out of the shadows just as they were doing, and before long the two separate parties were close, almost side by side. Tobias had cautioned Jessica to remain quiet but before he could stop her she blurted out.

"I know that guy, that's Blain, Blain McElroy. BLAIN, COME HERE!"

The high school student from Paul Williams was a football player, a good one, and he hadn't been aware of Tobias or Jessica until her outburst.

The handsome fellow with the big muscles joined them.

"Jessica, hey girl how are you doing?"

Blain gave the pretty seventeen year old a hug, and then he held the girl at arm's length. Tobias felt like the invisible man.

"You look good, and you made it. You survived," Blain said looking straight into her eyes. Jessie was focused on him too.

"And you too," she spoke. Then each realized that Tobias was there. He then turned and looked over at her companion.

"Hey Tobias, you made it too, great."

It was one of the first times that the high school athlete had ever acknowledged his presents, guess a viral apocalypse can do that to people; they start to notice you when their fan-club is gone, maybe eaten alive.

"Yeah, great to see you too Blain," Toby said, but his heart really wasn't in his words.

END PART 9


	10. Chapter 10

_**Fear the Dead 10**_

" _ **The Apocalypse Could Be a Lonely Place"**_

Author's note...Watching " _The Talking Dead_ ", I was so impressed with Katelyn Nacon. This young actress has such wisdom. I decided to link her into this story, just a fraction, but my admiration is well meant. I hope we get to see her again, this Georgia native. Her performance was truly noted.

The Walking Dead is so ingenious...its writing...superb, the idea so fantastical. I do think that the fandom of this show can link this event to something which could happen in our future. Not necessarily _Walkers_ , but a plague of some sort, an epidemic which could wipe out the host of humanity...and that scares the crap out of me, just saying. Z

Players: Tobias Grant (alive), Clifton Johnson (unknown), Adam Cook (deceased), Jessica Delray (asf-alive so far- pending) Blain McElroy (asf-alive so far- pending), and introducing someone new, Lance Chase.

 _ ******************* Jessica ******************_

Tobias Grant wasn't happy. He had invested some time in this girl Jessica, he had saved her life...Well maybe that wasn't positively true, he actually hadn't saved her, but he was keeping her safe, and shouldn't that count for something?

Tobias hadn't stopped to think that maybe Jessica didn't feel the same. Maybe she knew that he was looking out for her, but then maybe he was starting to develop other feelings for her too. Sure, he was trying to keep her safe but he was trying also, to keep himself alive. After all, what good was surviving an apocalypse if someone was left alone?

Yes they had been told to exit the yard of the compound by Private Johnson, but maybe the soldier had only meant for them to return to their bunks. Still, he hadn't stopped them as they had gone through the gate.

Her trust in Tobias had faulted, but only a little, and only after leaving the shelter behind. Now Jessica was finding herself having to avoid creepers ( _those soulless bodies which crawled across the ground and clawed their boney fingers up at her. She felt repulsed_ ).

She didn't feel safe anymore. She felt like Tobias might have lured her into a situation where her options were limited, her range of choices were now contained within a small box.

Jessica couldn't blame him completely ( _hadn't she gripped his fingers a little tightly; maybe sending the wrong message to his brain_ ). She trusted him, but not totally. She was scared.

At the beginning of the outbreak Jessica had sent a phone text to her cousin living in George. A text which had stated that things were getting really strange here, and that the city was becoming weird. She had received a returned message from Enid.

" _Things R safe here...U could come stay with us a while...happy-face"_

That had been Jessica's salvation. Her plan was to head out for a time and visit with her cousin on the eastern side of the country. Her parents had agreed, although they had considered their daughter's request as just an excuse for their baby girl to remove herself from their guidance...And then, maybe to connect boys well away from home. They loved their daughter, but Jessica was somewhat of a renegade, rebellious at this point. She was at an age which spoke that her parents... " _Knew nothing,"_ and she _, "knew everything_ ".

Jessica might want to get away for a time and her mother and father perceived that her panic was due to the situation at hand. However, it could be a ruse, a con; still, they had purchased a plane ticket on a _TURWEST_ flight to Atlanta.

Getting away from L.A. may prove to be good for her. Sure there was a viral infection going around. However, the schools had been closed, and the authorities were moving to contain the infection. It was nothing new. Classes had been canceled for a week and then everything would return to normal. In the meantime Jessica could visit her cousin for a few days.

Even with all that resolved something had happened at the airport. Something had gone wrong as Jessica's plane has taxied down the tarmac awaiting departure. A commotion had begun in the terminal. Some guy was on his cellphone and he was alerting passengers, and then a man began getting sick. It was chaos. Maybe she had been right to leave. However, much of her story remains untold. What had happened her parents, and too, the rest of her family. That part remains unknown.

 _ ******************* Decisions ******************_

Jessica found herself walking with someone she'd known less than three days. She had been able to exit the plane and she had started searching for her family.

Things at the airport had gone crazy, it was a madhouse. Not finding her parents the young seventeen year old had decided to return home, and walking looked like her best option. That was when she had been corralled by the military.

The truck she'd been riding in was when Jessica had first met up with Tobias. He was smart, and he seemed to know what was going on, now however, she was beginning to wonder. She was glad that Blain was around.

Tobias had acknowledged Blain's presents, just as Blain had acknowledged his. Still Jessica felt safer in the company of a guy she knew could better defend them against creeper. She clung more to the football hero.

"We should to go north", Blain had said, "I got a call from my brother saying that it was safer in the mountains in that direction."

Sure, that could be true, but Tobias had received a similar message from his friend saying that east was the better option. There were underground bunkers out that way, and supplies which had been stored by folk preparing for a nuclear holocaust. No, east was the better path to take as far as he was concerned.

There was something of a subtle debate taking root, not really an argument, but a difference of opinion, a power-play. The two students were at odds when it came to which direction to take to leave the city, however, those differences dissolved quickly whenever a sound was heard coming from behind them. All held their breath.

 _ ********************* Lance ********************_

"You guys need to have a better plan than that...a better plan then what I'm hearing."

All three individuals turned to see a guy standing on the seventh step of a stairs, and he had spoken with confidence.

Lance Chase had taken shelter in this building, and he was ready to sit-out the night. He had discovered that the " _virals_ " couldn't climb, or maybe it was that they couldn't climb that well. Either way, he felt safer closing his eyes and knowing that he was someplace up high.

Lance had heard something, voices, and he had opened his eyes and moved to the top of the stairs to investigate.

At first he thought that it may be soldiers, they seemed to be more active this night then they had been on previous...but soon he'd discovered that there were three individuals within his shelter. Individuals that were not soldiers but folk in the process of making plans, plans that seemed confused and ill conceived, well, at least to his way of thinking.

Lance was kind of a loner, he did things his way and compromises weren't something that he cared to favor. He was a bit of a geek and an introvert, but the social order had made the seventeen year old attend the institution of which we call high-school, and also he was present to attend other functions as well.

Lance's mother had pushed him to become more sociable, more outgoing. He loved his mom, but just what had happened to her during all this shit was unknown. Many people were in his same situation. What had become of loved ones and family members was a mystery, but he didn't focus on it. A person couldn't let their next breath of life be rooted in their existence of the past.

First rule of thumb when surviving an apocalypse was self-preservation. If one couldn't keep oneself alive then how could they assist others?

Lance had been on his own since this all of this malarkey had started. And he had witnessed lots of things, mind-blowing events. He was not soon to forget what he'd seen the military do. He had a photographic memory, and he didn't forget.

END PART 10


	11. Chapter 11

_**Fear the Dead 11**_

" _ **The Dearless Departed"**_

Author's notes: Concluding this story work with chapter 11, however I never say never...I do not like to get too far ahead in a story work of mine and I **do** like to keep what I posted relative and cohesive to the show. Although this is totally fan-driven tale maintaining a bit of believability is something I like to acheive. And with that said, I hope this chapter keeps that feel. My thanks to everyone for reading...Z

 _ ****************** Not Yours to Save ******************_

Tobias knew this guy. They hadn't attended the same high school, however, the Paul R. Williams student knew him from the internet, and from playing _Dungeons & Dragons_ (the two were familiar).

"Tobias, I thought I recognized your voice," the figure standing on the stairs said.

For a moment there was complete silence, and then Tobias spoke.

"Lance, you made it...good."

The new arrival finished descending the steps.

"Yeah, sorry about eavesdropping on your plans but I think that both of you have it wrong."

( _Who was it is fellow? At first it was thought that there were only three them here, hiding in this building. Now it looked as if another had joined the parade. Didn't seem right, this guy just barging in on their conversation and then telling them they were wrong_ )...That was Blain's thoughts. He looked over at Tobias.

"Who is this guy," he questioned, and his voice did show a bit of irritation.

"His names Lance, Lance Chase and he's a friend of mine."

"Well he's no friend of mine. I don't know him, and I don't want to know him. I'm sticking to my brother's plan, and I think you'd do best to follow."

It looked as if there was some struggle for authority going on here.

"Suit yourself, but you're going to die," Lance volunteered his opinion.

This meeting was not going well...and although this alternate show of opinions would not lead to the exchange of blows, differences had not been resolved. It looked as if each party would pretty much stay dedicated to their own path.

Lance had seemed a little arrogant. He was a smart kid and oftentimes let his ego go to his head. His mother had cautioned him about this on occasion.

" _Lance, you keep that attitude and you won't make many friends_ ," she had said.

Well, how many friends did he need? He had a few, Tobias being one of them, and that was all he cared to have. However having started out with so few friends Lance was now considering that Tobias may be the only one left.

He stood there saying nothing more. Then, in the dim light of the interior, sounds were beginning to be heard from outside...Sounds of an army, but what army (?) an army of the undead.

"Virals," Lance said.

"Zombies," Blain countered. And each one's eyes grew wide at the idea.

"They aren't zombies Blain," Tobias whispered, "you've seen too many old horror movies," he paused. "They're infected, and some may even be dead," he paused here a moment, and then continued. "The trick is to *outsmart* them, or outrun them. That's our advantage ( _Note: at this time it wasn't known if any of these creatures maintained intelligence_ ).

Blain didn't give a rat's tail what people called them, virals, infected, creepers, zombies, didn't mean a shit to him. But he did know that what Tobias had said was true, you could outrun them. Looking outside the door he could see an escape route just on the other side of the street. A two story building and another, lower structure attached to it. He made his decision within a split second, he was leaving.

He looked back towards Jessica.

"I'm heading out. You com'in?"

The girl was a little surprised. She was caught off-guard by his question. She couldn't find her voice. Jessica looked at Blain, and then over to Tobias and then at Lance. It was still dark out, and she could see that his plan was to make a run for it. However, how well did creepers see in the dark? She hadn't a clue, but she did know that here she felt trapped.

Jessica was at a crossroad. Was Tobias her choice to continue with or would Blain be better? The athlete or the geek, she had only a second to decide.

Before she could actually make her decision Blain bolted out the door. He ran straight over to a little "lean to" on the opposite side of the street and there began climbing onto the lower structure.

Jessica could hear the sounds of the creeper coming closer. " _Damn"..._ they may only be a few feet away now. She was about to launch herself out the door whenever Tobias caught her by the arm. She turned to look at him and although his mouth spoke no words his thoughts were written all over his face. He was forbidding her to go. **He** was in charge of her salvation. She pulled away, but before she exited she looked into his eyes.

"I'm not yours to save, Tobias" she said

Tobias watched as Jessica crossed the street. He had felt that he would be the one to keep her safe, now she was gone. She was able to reach Blain without incident, and he reached down to attempt to pull her up onto the shelter. Creepers had come into frame, and were honing in on the two. One reached Jessica before the football star was able to get her fully off the ground. It grabber her foot and Tobias heard her scream. Blain was able to pull her from the beast's grasp but by then others had joined the fray. the rickety shelter was being bombarded by a mob of hands and fingers. The structure began to falter and sway from the attack.

Tobias heard Blain call to Jessica to climb up onto the next level of the building, but it was too high for her. With his assistance he was able to get her up, but before he could gain safety himself the little building wobbled and he fell onto his butt and then slid down the inclined of the roof to its edge. He hadn't fallen off entirely but his shoes were hanging and that was just enough. The beasts grabbed him and began dragging him down.

Blain screamed as first his legs disappeared into the mass of bodies, and then his waist. The three onlookers watched in horror as he inched lower and lower as if he were be devoured by quicksand. Still, there was nothing they could do.

It was then that one of the creepers noticed Tobias standing just inside the doorway. It moved towards him, followed by another and then another.

Lance grabbed him by the collar.

"Tobias we have to go! We can get clear on the roof."

Tobias knew that he was right and it killed him to take his eyes off of Jessica. She just stood there, eyeballing them from the safety of the second level. Blain was gone now, even his scream could not be heard anymore. There were at least a dozen creepers coming towards them. The two vaulted up the stairs and then onto the roof.

From this vantage point Tobias could see that Jessica had climbed into a window on that side of the neighboring structure. She had disappeared from his view. He hadn't fully accepted the idea the she was gone, maybe forever.

Lance pulled on his shirtsleeve.

"Look we might be able to catch up with her later, maybe at sunup. For now we need to stay safe and stay put. My plan is to head out west instead of north or east. I know there's a boat out there, a big boat...and that may be the best place to be at this time. We can head out in the morning."

END PART 11


End file.
